Ideologues – left and right – see elections as referendums on philosophy. But voters – often as not – are looking for simple competence. Somebody to run government well: protect us from enemies foreign and domestic, encourage job growth, educate our kids, spend tax money wisely and sparingly, etc.

Republicans lost in 2006 and 2008 because President Bush failed the competency test – on the economy, the war, Katrina, the deficit, everything.

The American people picked somebody else to steer the ship – not necessarily a new ideology.

So why is Obama down in the polls?

Well, are things getting better? Are there more jobs? Are we safer? Is the budget under control? Is health care getting fixed?

Pretty good analysis of the political situation...the situation within our country currently, Gary.

I don't give ya "kudos" much, but you're dead on with most of what you're sayin'. A couple of days ago I was on CNN.com and was reading the Cafferty File that is put out by a guy that is not bashful about saying he's a left-leaning individual. He was questioning the Obama administration by askin' just what campaign promise he has come through with in his first year (well, no quite a year yet) as being prez. He listed all the main promises from (and not inclusive), of course, health care initiatives to gays in the military to gay marriage to card check to ending the Bush tax cuts to reimplementing "affirmative action" to....well, just so many liberal initiatives that have pretty much been put on the back burner because of all the emphasis on the health care initiative that will/would be his mark on this presidency.

Blue dog democratic congresspeople and independants are going away from Obama like turning the sides of a magnet around against each other. It isn't pretty currently for demos. But, hey, that might change. Depends on just how much money the Obama admin/demos are willing to give to the various voting blocs to help the get re-elected and just how strong the repubs can be with raising campaign funds and getting good candidate recruitment done.